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Where Our Journey Takes Us

Where Our Journey Takes Us

"You want me to write a weekly article for the newsletter, and the newspaper? What? Are you kidding me?" I’m pretty sure I said those words out loud when I was informed of this expectation. While I have written many things for a number of church newsletters, the focus was always informative in nature, I wouldn’t say they were ever inspiring or thought-provoking. Knowing that the audience was going to be much bigger concerned me a bit. What could I ever say that would cause anyone to stop and read my article. Surely they would just skim right on by my headline.


Here I am nearly 4 years down the road with well over 100 plus articles. At some point along the way I began to see task of writing something weekly as a spiritual discipline. Every week has become a practice in paying attention to the everydayness of my life, being ever mindful of God’s presence all around me. The time I spend writing has become an opportunity for me to take an experience and transform it into something meaningful, giving space for God to speak. What I have discovered over time is that I am more keenly aware of how the most insignificant moments can bring significant spiritual insight.


As I consider this new chapter in my life, I challenge myself to keep up the practice. While I won’t be in an environment that expects me to produce such each week, I will be in a place where I can continue to make an impact through my experiences. Perhaps these last few years learning this practice of crafting a meaningful thought in 500 words or less has been preparation for what lies ahead. Certainly the affirmation I have received has encouraged me to press on with my writing. One friend upon learning of my departure gifted me with a journal and simply said, "keep writing."


So here is what I leave you with…we all have a story to tell. We all have something to share. And we are all gifted in varying ways to tell that story. When I consider the trivial things I feel I have written and the kind notes, comments, how someone was moved by what I wrote…I’m convinced we all have something to share. And in a world that is so flooded with negativity, criticism, and opinions, the good stories need to be told. The true evidence of God’s love and presence need to have a light shined upon it. And even the least of these need to know that they matter.


So thank you Mountainside UMC for providing the space for me to share, and to the Hot Springs Village Community for reading my words. I am forever grateful. I will keep on writing, sharing my journey in this life, trusting that somewhere and somehow it will make a difference.


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Hot Springs Village · AR 71909

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